The talented French writer, dedicated revolutionary and wise politician André Malraux wrote in his memoires that Charles de Gaulle was France’s “alibi for courage”. According to Malraux, De Gaulle’s actions saved France not once, but twice. The first time, by organizing the resistance against the Nazis during the WWII and, the second time, by defusing the dangers of civil war during the Algerian crisis. In both cases, de Gaulle unflinchingly stood up against the conformist, corrupt French oligarchy which had surrendered to the foreign centers of power and, for this, he received the undying support of the French citizens. In fact, it was precisely de Gaulle’s dedication to the interests of the French people and the confrontation with the oligarchy that constituted the two key aspects of his political success.

I am convinced that Europe today also has its “alibi for courage”. It even seems that there are several potential candidates. Still, the one on whose success today depends not only the future of his state and the people he represents, but also the future of the whole Europe, is Alexis Tsipras.

Tsipras’ political and economic program is the last chance for the institutions of the European Union to be transformed in an evolutionary and predictable manner in order to adapt to the demands and needs of the EU citizens while being freed from the nontransparent and corruptive influences of the financial, military, and intelligence circles. This program represents the reality of strivings not only of the Greek citizens, but also of the tens of millions of people within the EU and beyond its borders whose living standard has been destroyed and the future made uncertain by the decade-long neoliberal policies of brutal privatization and debt enslavement. Tsipras offers the Brussels oligarchs a just deal, a deal which privileges the ordinary citizen above the banker and common sense above the dogma. However, there is a great deal of probability that his extended hand will be rejected.

The attempts to discredit Tsipras and the members of his government in the so-called independent Western media (in truth, owned by several oligarchic monopolies) began already during the election night. The supposedly well-informed “bloggers” wrote about the alleged links between Tsipras’ associates and the radical conservatives in Russia as well as his associates’ cooperation with the US Marxists. Many also reported on Tsipras’ last year visit to Moscow in an ominous tone, while the others raised panic about the government members who were ex-Communists. At the same time, these news sources kept silent about the fact that Tsipras also visited Washington DC, that he met with George Soros, and that he is committed to resolving the “explosive” issues of the divided Cyprus and the official name of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the spirit of compromise and good relations with Greece’s neighbors. The assignment was to defame and destroy, not to respect and give a chance. It is tragic that the media demonization campaign against Tsipras and his government is still ongoing with full speed.

At the same time, many mechanisms of the global oligarchic capitalism have been mobilized to make it difficult, if not impossible, for Tsipras to direct the recovery of the Greek economy. The foremost credit rating agencies, for instance, all downgraded the credit ratings of Greece, while the World Bank and the IMF stated that all the austerity agreements have to be respected and fulfilled. The threats that Greece would be thrown out of the eurozone intensified, while the Turkish air force suddenly began infringing on the disputed airspace.

Taking into consideration the instigators and protagonists of the 1967 military coup, it is not possible to discount completely the possibility of the military overthrow of the legitimately elected government, assisted (as in 1967) by the NATO’s secret networks and the CIA. Still, reflecting on the most recent subversive methods utilized by the US intelligence community, one would rather expect some kind of a “color revolution” which would, through protests and street disturbances, demand the new elections under the pretext that Tsipras did not fulfill his electoral promises. The all-around chaos that would ensue on the streets of Athens would make the return to power of the old corrupt oligarchy increasingly likely.

This turn of events in Athens, together with the devastating war in Ukraine, would lead to the spread of instability across the European Union. The economic and social despair would give rise to the strengthening of the openly racist/fascist political forces whose explosive power would be skillfully directed by the oligarchy toward all existing minorities, especially the religious ones. This could also lead to the open declaration of war to Russia, but it could also instigate a series of internal mini-wars against the immigrants of the Middle Eastern and African origin. The public would then be inundated by the rumors of another kind of “Islamic state” (this time in Europe), while the eventual intervention of the US military would make parts of Europe look like the present-day Libya, Iraq or Syria. The European civilization, ambivalent from its inception, the cradle of both the good and the evil, could in the last instance be wiped out in some nuclear holocaust.

Of course, this is the worst possible nightmarish scenario, and, thankfully, it is far from inevitable. Still, the first important step in its prevention is the long-term survival of the Tsipras government. For this, the strong support of the like-minded political parties and movements is very much needed. As Ho Chi Mihn replied to the question of the delegation of the European communists as to what they could do to help Vietnam that it was best if they led revolutions in their own countries, so the best support to Tsipras from the rest of the world is that we in our communities, using the similar political program, radically confront our own oligarchies and their political and economic repression. The common and courageous struggle for human dignity and social justice is the only political alternative to the oligarchic warmongers.

Translated by the author. Originally published in the Montenegrin daily newspaper Vijesti on February 12, 2015.

Geopolitical author, global justice advocate and university professor Filip Kovacevic writes on the current geopolitical situation in Europe and beyond with the special focus on the military and energy matters

About: Kovacevic on Geopolitics

Filip Kovacevic is a geopolitical author, university professor, global justice advocate, and the chairman of the Movement for Neutrality of Montenegro. He received his BA and PhD in political science in the US and was a visiting professor at St. Petersburg State University in Russia for two years. He is the author of eight books, dozens of academic articles & conference presentations and hundreds of newspaper columns and media commentaries. He has been invited to lecture throughout the EU, Balkans, ex-USSR and the US. His other blogs are Critical Geopolitics: Open Source Investigations and Otpor & Pobuna: Protiv sile i nepravde (in Montenegrin). He can be contacted at fk1917@yahoo.com. He currently lives in San Francisco and teaches at the University of San Francisco.